It's the Law: Specifically for PWCs

PWC operators must adhere to additional legal requirements that apply specifically to the operation of personal watercraft on Texas waters.

Requirements Specific to PWCs

• Each person riding on or being towed behind a PWC must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, III, or V personal flotation device.
• If the PWC is equipped with a lanyard-type ignition safety switch, the lanyard must be attached to the person, clothing, or PFD of the operator.
• It is illegal to:
  • Operate a PWC between sunset and sunrise.
  • Operate a PWC within 50 feet of another boat or PWC, a person, a stationary platform, or a shoreline. The only exception is when the PWC is maintaining headway speed.
  • Operate a PWC in a manner that requires the operator to swerve at the last possible moment to avoid a collision. Furthermore, a PWC should not jump the wake of another vessel recklessly or unnecessarily close to that vessel.
• PWCs must be rated to carry the number of persons on board at any time.